DAY 87

RELUCTANT WARRIOR

Judges 4, 5 & 6 and Luke 4:31-44

I have commented on the parallel New Testament text in Mark where Jesus cannot do many miracles in his home town, while when he goes to Capernaum he heals many! There is certainly more we could dig into in the Luke passage, but today I want to dig into the Old Testament, it has some great stories.

Today we meet two powerful women, Deborah and Jael. We also meet Gideon. If you ever wonder about God’s view of women, then today’s reading ought to clear that up. Today we find a woman appointed Judge over all Israel and one executes an opposing general! I know we don’t like the violence in the Old Testament, but God’s Word today certainly presents women in a light parallel to the male heroes we have read about. We find the nation being cruelly ruled by a foreign power for twenty years (Jdg 4:3). They pray to God, and Deborah, Israel’s judge, mounts a successful battle with only a few of the tribes. Her campaign and her commander Barak were so effective that the land had rest for forty years (Judges 5:31). A key part of the story regards a woman named Jael. The opposing commander seeks refuge, she hides him in a rug and then drives a tent peg through his head – this is one tough lady.

Yet after four decades of peace Israel forgets God, does what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, and finds themselves under the hand of Midian for seven years. God will next deliver Israel through a Judge named Gideon. This is a great story, showing not only God’s sovereignty, but also his sense of humor.

The story starts with the angel of the Lord addressing Gideon “O mighty man of valor”. That is an interesting way to address someone who is in a winepress threshing wheat. You don’t normally thresh wheat in a wine press. Gideon is hiding. He is hiding from the Midianites. After Gideon’s attempt to talk the Angel of the Lord (a euphemism for God) out of the plan, Gideon asks that he wait as Gideon goes and prepares a present. The text describes that Gideon goes and prepares a meal, which should take a bit of time. Gideon brings it out, and Lord consumes it with the touch of the tip of his hand, and then vanishes. The story goes on from there with a reluctant Gideon. There is a tension in the story. It seems as Gideon is struggling more and more to get away from the Lord’s plan, yet the Lord pulls Him into the plan. In the end Gideon is a reluctant hero.

God uses reluctant warriors. In fact I think he likes those best. People who are reluctant tend to shy away from the fanfare. They are not interested in the limelight. Their lack of enthusiasm tends to have them lean more on God. Yet reluctance doesn’t mean they don’t “obey” or “go” or “serve” – might there have been a time you have been a reluctant warrior – are you being asked to be one right now?